Coiling strip and assembly



June 7, 1966 s. RElscH 3,254,859

G01-.LING STRIP AND ASSEMBLY Filed April 1e, 1962 :s sheets-sheet 1 7i(@w and 75mm ATTORNEYS June 7, 1966 s. RElscH 3,254,859

coILING STRIP AND ASSEMBLY Filed April 16, 1962 5 sheets-Sheet 2 /N VENTo/Q: S/EFre/ED QErscH June 7, 1966 s. RElscH GOILING STRIP AND ASSEMBLY5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 16, 1962 gn a/Qd Ema/L ATTGQNEVSUnitedStates Patent 3,254,859 COILING STRIP AND ASSEMBLY SiegfriedReisch, Via Italia, Varazze, Italy Fired'Apr. 16, 1962, ser. No. 187,831Claims priority, application Austria, Apr. 29, 1961, A 3,397/61 21Claims. (Cl. 242-685) This invention relates to a coiling strip having atendency to coil, for various applications and basically comprehends allkinds of flexible striplike elements as well as wide webs which are usedin extended position and kept in a coiled condition. Of the numerouspurposes to which the tapes according to the invention may be applied,the following may be mentioned only as examples: Measuring tapes,clotheslines, dragropes for vehicles and other pulling and retainingropes, information carriers in tape form, such as punched tapes forteletype and similar systems, also multi-core electric leads forportable appliances for domestic use, for traveling or other purposes,such as flatirons, cooking appliances, hand-sets, electric shavers,fans, flash units, electromedical equipment, laboratory and surveyinginstruments and others.

Particularly the last-mentioned electric leads give rise to substantialdifficulties in the practical use of the appliances and with regard toesthetic aspects, which are hig-hly important in modern engineering. Forthis reason electric leads, e.g., for handsets and flatirons, have oftenbeen provided in the form of elastic wire coils. These coils, however,have only a limited application because the coiling tendency of theextended lead exerts an undesired pull on the appliance, which is heldin most cases with the hand, and the lead does not ensure a favorableutilization of space and attractive design when coiled up.

According to the invention, strips having a coiling tendency andsuitable for the above-mentioned applications are designed to consist,of at least one thin, flexible layer of a material which establishes afield of force which provides such surface polarization that there willbe no attraction between the length portions of the strip when the sameis extended whereas during coiling up the adjacent outsidev surfaces ofopposite polarity attract each other to resist uncoiling of the strip.

The magnetic tape used for manufacturing the coiling strips according tothe invention may consist, e.g., of a vinyl tape containing magneticparticles in such a fine division that it has permanent-magneticproperties throughout its surface. The polarization may be chosen linview of the intended application. Such magnetic tapes are being sold inthe United States, e.g., under the name Magnyl.

As has been mentioned hereinbefore, the flexible carrier layer of thecoiling strip may be provided at least on one side with appropriatelyspaced elements of magnetic material which is polarized in a directionnormal to the surface.

In another embodiment of the strip according to thev invention, theflexible carrier layer is provided on both sides with a magnetic tape,known per se, having alternating longitudinal zones of oppositepolarity, opposite pole strips being disposed close to eachother at theside edges.

Where the coiling strip consists of a two-core electric lead, each ofthe cores `of the lead may be individu-al- 4which carries the coilformer.

pce

case it will be spirally coiled with adjoining outside surfaces or inthe form of a helical surface wound on'edge or -in the shape of a cone.In the two arrangements mentioned last, the strip will be twisted aboutits longitudinal axis when extended.

In a preferred embodiment of the coiling strip, the same is secured atone end to a coil former, which is freely rotatably mounted on a shafthaving two finger grips. In this case the outer end of the strip issuitably connected to a flat housing, the side walls of which areprovided with longitudinal slots for inserting the shaft Where thisembodiment is used for electrical leads, the housing has attached to itthe plug for connection to the mains and the coil former is providedwith'plug sockets for connection to the load.

In accordance with the basic principle of the invention, webs which canbe coiled up, such as plans, drawings, projection screens, wall maps,roller blinds or the like, may be provided with magnetic tapes having acoiling tendency on one side or both sides at least on the twolongitudinal edges of the web and, if desired, in the form of aplurality of equally spaced strips.

Several embodiments of strips having a coiling tendency are shown by wayof example in the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coiling strip elementconsisting of a magnetic tape layer.

FIGS. 2a and 2b are longitudinal sectional views showing strip elementshaving coverings of magnetically polarized material.

FIG. 3 is another longitudinal sectional view showing a thin stripelement having electrostatically polarized coverings.

FIG. 4 shows a magnetic strip as it begins to coil up.

A magnetic tape with an embedded electric lead on a coil former is shownin FIG. 5 in a side elevation and in FIG. 6 in a sectional-view takenthrough the coil former.

FIG. 7 shows a similar electric line with a housing for the coiled-upstrip.

FIG. 8 shows a two-core electric lead with another embodiment of themagnetically polarized covering.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 are transverse sectional views showing three furthermagnetic strips which can be coiled up and are provided with electricconductors.

FIG. 12 shows a strip provided with spaced magnetic coverings.

FIG. 13 shows a wide web provided with a plurality of stripllikemagnetic coverings.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 show three embodiments of striplike electric leadsinserted in the form of horizontal or inclined adjoining helicalconvolutions in a housing.

FIG. l shows the simplest form of a magnetic strip 1 which may be coiledup and which consists only of a thin, permanent-magnetic tape which ispolarized in a direction normal to its sunface.

The strip 1' shown in FIG. 2a consists of two layers, name-ly, a thincarrier layer 2 of soft, flexible material having no inherent coilingtendency and designed for the respective applicati-on, eg., .for use asa measuring tape, and a magnetic tape 3 which is polarized transverselyto its surface and firmly bonded to the layer 2 throughout its lengt-h.

FIG. 2b shows a suitable embodiment of a strip l, in which ltheintermediate carrier layer 2, which tmay consist of two electricalconductors embedded in a flat insulating covering, is covered on bothsides with atransve-rsely polarized .magnetic layer 3. In the twoembodiments shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, one surface zone forms a magnetic,north pole and the other a south pole throughout the strip element l1or 1".

FIG. 3 shows a strip element which is similar in construction to that ofFIG. 2b but has a carrier strip 2 provided on both sides withelectrostatically polarized coverings 4 of a suitable material. Owing tothe relatively small force action, this embodiment provided withcoverings having an electrostatic effect may be used primarily in verythin strips, e.g., measuring tapes or, possibly, carrie-rs of storedinformation.

These laminated strip elements illustrated here only by way of exampledo not exhibit any coiling tendency when extended because the carrierlayer is non-elastic and the magnetically or electrostatically polarizededge zones establish only stray fields.

On the other Ihand, if the coiling operation is initiated, as isillustrated in FIG. 4, the oppositely polarized edge zones, eig., northand south -poles or positive and negative poles, will lie close to eachother and the effective forces of attraction will first promote furthercoiling and will hold the strip coiled up in spiral shape withsufficient strength. In the simplest case the strip may consist only ofa magnetic tape 1 which is polarized transversely to the tape surfaceand which is designed to form, eg., a measuring tape or a punched tapefor teletype. I-n the case of FIG. 2a, the forces of attraction musttact through the carrier layer 2, which for this reason must be thinenou-gh. A correspondingly stronger action will be achieved with stripelements having a magnetic covering on both sides.

When the strip 1 is coiled, the first corresponding areas in oneconvolution are in `registry with the second corresponding .areas in anadjacent convolution so that coiling is facilitated and uncoiling isresisted.

For most practical applications of the strips according to the inventionit will be sufficient if the coiling is effected by hand. Wit-h suitabledimensioning of the ent-ire strip, however, the forces of attractioneffective after the format-ion of the first convolution ymay besufficient ifo-r a fully automatic further coiling of the strip. Thiswill obviously depend on a coaction of various factors, such as theforce of attraction per unit of area and the counteracting forces to beovercome, eg., the stitness of the strip and any gravity componentswhich may be effective.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a particularly desirable design of a coiling strip 5,which is here indicated to consist of a two-core electric lead. Thestrip 5 having oppositely polarized surfaces is secured at one end to adisc-shaped coil former 6, which has inserted in its central bore ashaft 7 with two grip plates 8, at Which the coil former may be grippedwith the fingers to initiateV the coiling operation. The strip 5 isprovided at its outer end with the plug 9 and the coil former 6 isprovided at its end face with a pair of plug sockets 10 for connectionto the load. These plu-g sockets may alternatively be disposed on theperipheral surface of the coil former.

A development of this electric lead having a coiling tendency is shownin FIG. 7, where the outer end of the strip 5 is secured to a flathousing 11, which is provided in both end Walls with a longitudinal slot12 and carries at its bottom the plug prongs 13 for connection to themains. This housing 11 serves for accommodating the completely wound-upcoil, the shaft ends 7k of the coil yformer 6 being inserted into thelongitudinal slot 12.

FIG. 8 shows a strip element having a different magnetic covering: Thecarrier ta-pe 14 of insulating material has two electric conductors 14embedded therein and is p-rovided on both sides with a commerciallyavailable magnetic tape element 15 having the pole arrangement shown,i.e. comprising longitudinally extending magnetic zones of alternatingpolarity N-S-N-S. Tape elements thus magnetized will not exhibit anymagnetic activity on the outside surface alone and must be bonded toboth sides of the carrier tape as indicated and in relatively invertedpositions so that zones of opposite polarities will be provided atopposite sides of each longitudinal edge. It is apparent that the sameattraction effect as in the above-described examples having coveringsmagnetized transversely to their surface will be achieved between thesurfaces contacting each other during the coiling operation.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show two particularly simple designs for coiling two-coreelectric leads. In the first case, shown in FIG. 9, two insulatedelectric conductors I5 are attached to opposite edges of a magnetic tape3 polarized transversely to its surface. According to FIG. l0,longitudinally extending, insulated electric conductors 14 are embeddedin the cross-section of a magnetic tape 3, which is polarizedtransversely to its surface.

FIG. ll shows a suitable profile of a coiling strip similar to FIG. l0,which is formed with a longitudinal groove 3 to prevent a transversedisplacement in the strip coil. t

FIG. 12 shows another modification of the coiling strip, in which theflexible carrier layer 2 is provided on both sides with spaced flatelements 18 of magnetic material. It is obvious that these elements mustcontact each other when the strip is being coiled up.

FIG. 13 illustrates a general field of application of the coiling stripelements laccording to t'ne invention. In this application, relativelywide webs19, such as plans, drawings, projection screens, wall maps,roller blinds or the like are provided with coiling magnetic tapes 3 atleast on both longitudinal edges and preferably in the form of aplurality of equidistant strips. These wide webs may be provided withthe magnetic tapes on both sides and will be provided only at the edgesin elements having an outside surface serving a specific purpose, suchas plans, wall maps etc.

FIGS. 14, l5 and 16 show two desirable embodiments of electric leadswhich are helically coiled and accommodated in a housing, with `whichthey are firmly connected to an appliance, such as a telephone set.

FIG. 14 shows a low, box-shaped housing 20 formed with an annular groove21. The magnetic tape 22 having the electric conductors embedded thereinis secured at one end to the bottom of this guide groove and during thecoiling operation is helically inserted into the groove 21 with oppositesurfaces abutting. The terminals 23 are attached to the outside of thehousing 2t).

FIG. 15 shows a modification of FIG. 14. The housing 24 is provided oneach end face with a groove 25 and the partition 26 is formed with anoblique slot 2-7, through which the magnetic tape extends, which issecured, e.g., by being clamped, approximately at the middle so that themagnetic tape is inserted into the two grooves .25 on both sides duringthe coiling operation, which is analogous to the vpreceding example inother respects. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the housing 28 1sformed with an annular groove 29, the bottom 29 is bevelled in conicalshape. A magnetic tape 3d having a surface which is inclined to the coilaxis is helically coiled into this groove. Soldering tags 31 areattached to the outside of the housing. i

It is obvious that helically coiled magnetic strips havmg at or inclinedconvolutions cannot be extended to a fiat condition but will be twistedin accordance with their number of convolutions. Provided that thedimensions of the strip are appropriately selected, this will notadversely affect the utility of the strip for the practical applicationswhich are contemplated. For instance a lead about 2 meters long and,e.g., 8-10 mm. wide, will have only 5-6 convolutions in a coil 12 to l()centimeters in diameter.

I claim:

1. A coiling strip of flexible material having at least portions thereofof magnetic material so polarized that corresponding areas of one faceof said strip are of a single magnetic polarity opposite to that of thecorresponding areas of the opposite face, whereby when said strip iscoiled said first corresponding areas in one lconvolution are inregistry with said second corresponding areas in an adjacent convolutionso that coiling is facilitated and uncoiling is resisted.

2. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which comprises a thin,flexible, neutral carrier strip having on both sides a covering ofelectrostatically polarized material.

3. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which consists only of athin magnetic tape polarized in a direction normal to its surface. t

4. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which cornprises a thin,flexible, neutral carrier layer and an active layer lon one side of saidcarrier layer of a material which is magnetically polarized in adirection normal to its surface.

5. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1 which comprises a ilat,flexible carrier layer which is provided on each face with a magneticlayer which is polarized in a direction normal to its surface, theoutside surfaces of the entire strip having opposite polarities.

6. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which comprises a flat,flexible carrier layer provided at least on one side with elements ofmagnetic material polarized in a direction normal to its surface.

7. A coiling strip comprising a at, flexible central carrier layer, anda magnetic tape forming an active layer on leach side of said carrierlayer having alternating polarities in successive longitudinal zones,said magnetic tapes providing zones of opposite polarity at the sideedges of the strip, whereby when said strip is coiled zones of oppositepolarity in adjacent convolutions are in registry to facilitate coilingand resist uncoiling.

S. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, in fwhich said stripincludes electrical conductors, and an insulated portion surroundingsaid conductors.

9. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1 which comprises a magnetictape forming an active layer and two insulated electric leads attachedto opposite longitudinal edges of said tape.

10. A coiling strip ras set forth in claim 1, in Which said stripcomprises a magnetic tape forming said active layer and at least oneelectric conductor embedded in said tape.

11. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, in which said strip isformed with a llongitudinal groove.

12. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which is adapted to beformed into a helical coil having adjoining oonvolutions, the side edgesof which are in alignment in the axial direction of the coil.

13. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, which is adapted to beformed into a helical coil having an axis relative to which Ithe surfaceof said strip is inclined when the strip is thus coiled.

14. A coiling strip as set forth in claim 1, in which said stripcomprises a web carrying strips of magnetic tape forming such activelayers at both longitudinal edges of the web.

15.` A coiling strip assembly comprising a shaft, a reel rotatable ondsaid shaft, a strip of material having flexible characteristicspermitting coiling, said strip having atleast portions thereof ofmagnetic material so polarized that one face of said strip is of asingle magnetic polarity opposite to the opposite face in correspondingareas of said strip, whereby when said strip is coiled areas of oppositepolarity in adjacent convolutions are in registry to facilitate coilingand resist uncoiling.

, 16. A coiling strip assembly as set forth in claim 15,

6 which comprises a flat housing having laterally spaced end walls whichare formed with registering longitudinal slots open at one end andadapted to receive each end of said shaft, said strip being secured tosaid housing at the end opposite to the end secured to said reel.

17. A coiling strip assembly as set forth in claim 16, in which saidstrip comprises a multicore electric lead and said housing carries aplug electrically connected to said lead and adapted to be electricallyconnected to an electric supply, and said reel carries plug socketselectrically connected to said lead and adapted to be electricallyconnected to a load.

18. A coiling strip assembly comprising a housing having a cylindricalouter wall open at one end, an end Wall closing the opposite end, acylindrical winding reell formed Within said housing on said end walland accessible from the opened end, and a at coiling strip of adimension to be Wound with a tlat surface against said end wa-ll of saidhousing and around said cylindrical reel with the side edges adjacentsaid reel, said strip having at least portions thereof of magneticmaterial so polarized that one face of said strip is of a singlemagnetic polarity opposite to the opposite face in corresponding areas,whereby when said strip is coiled corresponding areas of oppositepolarity in adjacent convolutions are in registry to facilitatecoilingand resistuncoiling.

19. A coiling strip assembly as set forth in claim 18, in which saidstrip comprises an electric lead land has one end secured to saidhousing and in which xing means are attached to the outside of saidhousing.

20. A coiling strip assembly according to claim 18, wherein saidcylindrical housing is opened at each end and wherein said end wall is apartition Wall with a cylindrical reel member being formed on each sidethereof, said housing `accommodating said coiling strip around each ofsaid reeling members at each end thereof.

21. A coiling sheet comprising a at Web member having a plurality oflongitudinally extending portions with magnetic material on each facepolarized so that one face of said Web in the area of said magneticportion is of a single magnetic polarity opposite to the polarity of theopposite face in corresponding areas along the length of said web,whereby when said strip is coiled corresponding areas of oppositepolarity are in registry to facilitate coiling and resist uncoiling.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,342,954 2/ 1944Mercer 242-1296 2,684,815 7/ 1954 Holz 242-74 2,958,019 10/1960 Scholtenet al. 317--159 3,051,988 9/ 1962 Baermann 317--203 3,124,725 3/ 1964Leguillon 317-201 OTHER REFERENCES What You Can Do With FlexibleMagnets, Product Engineering, January 9, 1961, pp. S5-68.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

LEYLAND M. MARTIN, RUSSELL C. MADER,

Examiners. N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner.

1. A COILING STROP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING AT LEAST PORTIONS THEREOFOF MAGNETIC MATERIAL SO POLARIZED THAT CORRESPONDING AREAS OF ONE FACEOF SAID STRIP ARE OF A SINGLE MAGNETIC POLARITY OPPOSITE TO THAT OF THECORRESPONDING AREAS OF THE OPPOSITE FACE, WHEREBY WHEN SAID STRIP ISCOILED SAID FIRST CORRESPONDING AREAS IN THE CONVOLUTION ARE IN REGISTRYWITH SAID SECOND CORRESPONDING AREAS IN AN ADJACENT CONVOLUTION SO THATCOILING IS FACILITATED AND UNCOILING IS RESISTED.